A Hostile Beginning
by frozen-lovely
Summary: It is two months until Anna's wedding when Arendelle falls under attack. When a foreign kingdom comes to help in the fight against the Southern Isles, its King and his children live under the royal roof with our familiar royal family. How will Elsa react to having new people roaming her halls, especially a stubborn princess who catches the queens eye. (ElsaxFem-OC) (AnnaxKristoff)
1. Chapter 1

She didn't want to go out on such a night but her sister was insisting. As Anna was pulling her along behind her through the halls of the castle, Elsa just wished she could go back to the solitary blue walls of her office. But no, she sister was taking her to a tavern. What was a queen going to do in a tavern? But it was Anna's birthday, she supposed she should let the girl have a little fun for the night, even if it had to include the blonde being shoved onto a bar stool fifteen minutes later between an old woman and a young man who immediately tried to strike up a conversation with her. A glass of deep red wine was soon in her hand, courtesy of the young red headed princess, and the queen sipped it as she watched her sister be pulled onto the dance floor by master Kristoff; twirling around in a sloppy manner that could only be perfected by a peasant. The young woman spun around so that she was facing the bar and no longer had to witness the couple on the wooden dance floor, all smile and heated stares. No, Elsa preferred to stare at the wall. Don't get me wrong, the queen was not bitter about her sister being in love, engaged at that, Elsa was very excited about the impending nuptials. It was just something about young love lately that seemed to set her teeth on edge. The young blonde man next to her connoted to try and flirt, hopelessly and to no avail. Else shot down every advance made from the obviously oblivious, obviously intoxicated boy.

"Elsa!" Kristoff voice cut through the music of the small band in the corner and soon his large rough hand was placed on her shoulder to spin her towards him. "Care to honour me with a dance, your highness?" The boy sunk into a bow and a silly grin graced his face.

"I don't dance, Kris. You know that." Elsa tried her best to smile back, but the atmosphere seemed to suck whatever hope of a smile she had out of her. She hated crowds, especially drunk ones. Still she managed a small grimace that she hoped could be taken as a smile.

"Don't worry, Darling." Anna strutted up behind her fiancé, throwing her hand in the air to signal for another round of drinks for the group. "A few more glasses of wine and I know for a fact my sister will be the life of the party."

"You know this how exactly?" Elsa laughed at the younger girl.

"Well I seem to remember a certain christmas eve a year ago when you got very enthusiastic after some wine, I don't think the dining room table has ever been the same after you danced on it." Anna smirked and took her new drink from the bar tender.

"Well that is a memory I wish I could have been there for." Kristoff laughed at the image, taking another sip from his newly refreshed glass.

"The only difference, dear sister, was that it was just you and me that night, and we were in our home, not a crowded pub!" Elsa argued playfully, still working on her first glass.

"Els, come on." Anna threw her arms around the older girls neck. "Please at least try and have fun tonight, for me?"

"I will try, but this night will not include table dancing if thats what you were hoping for, at least not from me" Else giggled and indulged her sister by throwing the rest of her glass into her mouth. Anna and kristoff cheered and sunk into one another as Elsa reached for her awaiting second glass from the bar.

:::

It took two and a half hours and almost two bottles of Arendelle wine for Kristoff to convince Elsa to even get off her bar stool. But when she did the young couple were able to drag her onto the floor and twirl her around as if she a young giddy child. Elsa had to admit, although she would never say it aloud, the queen did enjoy dancing. Especially without the pomp and circumstance of royal balls. In the ball room, surrounded by god knows how many other nobles from around the globe, one wrong dance step meant public ridicule and obnoxious smiles from her guests. But here, on the stained, sticky, wooden floor of Arendelle's most popular tavern, with one hand around Kristoff and the other twirling her younger sister, there were no wrong steps. There was only laughter and good friends, sharing a night to celebrate Anna's 20th birthday. That is, at least until they heard the canon fire…


	2. Chapter 2

The whole tavern froze, the band came to a screeching halt in the middle of a note, and, tho they would argue about this later, Elsa and Anna swore they heard Kristoff screech like a little girl. No one in the tavern moved, you could hear a pin drop, until the second canon blast went off. It was Elsa that flew into action first. Bolting towards the door, but not before picking up her previously discarded shoes and shoving them onto her feet as she ran. Bursting through the pub door and out into the cool air of the night, Elsa came to a halt. Searching the street with her eyes she saw no sign of trouble, canon damage, or cause for alarm. Kristoff rushed out of the pub next, followed by his flustered fiancee. The door slamming behind them caused the trio to jump, all waiting for the next canon to go off. And it came, not soon after. Shaking the ground and tearing through the queens hope that she had imagined the whole thing.

"Sounds like it came from the docks." Kristoff stated, not realizing the blond girl was already sprinting away from the group and towards the source of the noise. A blur of red hair sprinted by Kristoff, but the boy grabbed the young girls hand before she was out of his reach.

"Oh no you don't. We have no way of knowing what's down there. You go back to the castle, I will follow her."

"No! She's my sister and she needs me." Anna protested, trying to shrink out of his grip.

"She needs you safe and alive. Go get the royal guard. I will look after the queen." Kristoff's stare left no room for argument.

"Follow her, Kris." Anna pushed him forward, after her sister. "I will make sure the royal guard is on there way. But I will be returning with them." Kristoff took one step towards the docks before Anna yanked him back by his wrist. The red head stared right at him, tears barely visible in her blue eyes. "Don't let her get hurt…"

The blonde boy nodded before hurrying off towards the docks.

:::

Reaching the docks first, Elsa came to a halt just before the wooden planks. One ship was docking, while two others were on either side of the fjord, firing just short of shore. The canon balls hitting the water as if to warn, but not harm the village.

"Do you recognize the flags?" Kristoff asked the queen, after pushing through the crowd that was starting to form around the dock.

"Southern Isles…" Elsa said darkly. Suddenly worried for her sister, the girl asked. "Wheres Anna?"

"I sent her for the royal guard, but knowing her she will be here in a matter of minutes." Kristoff's face sunk at the implications of the princess arriving at the docks.

"We will just have to send them off before she arrives then…" Elsa stood up straight, fighting the alcohol in her system she pushed aside the haze and covered it with a demeanour she had been practising since she was a child. The plank hit the dock, a single man decedent from the boat. He wore a military uniform and walked with purpose, in his hand was a scroll.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle?" The guard asked.

"Yes, and you are." Elsa said, careful not to slur her words.

 _Dear god why is everything spinning…?_

"Just the messenger…" He held our his hand as if to give her the scroll, but the hand shook. Elsa knew he was hoping she would not lose her temper with him. Little did he know she was just trying not to fall over from drink. She took the scroll form him and quickly tried to untie the knot. Her fingers trembled and Kristoff noticed she was having a hard time grasping the small strings. The boy took the letter from her hand sad untied it, letting it fall open in his grip.

"Elsa, get back to the castle…" The blond boy said, stepping in front of her to put a shield between the queen and the boat. He handed the letter back to the girl, reluctantly and never took his eyes off the guard, who was now boarding his ship once again.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

The Southern Isles is not an unjust kingdom. We do not come to harm but to warn. You have three weeks to prepare your Kingdom, at that time we will return, and it will not be to warn. Prepare yourself for war.

King Ansgar of the Southern Isles.


End file.
